Ostia Antica was the harbor of ancient Rome and perhaps its first colonia. A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences), or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ...

History

Origins

Located at the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was said to have been founded by Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome, in the 7th century BC. A later inscription refers to the event [Anco Marcio regi quarto a Romulo qui ab urbe condita primum coloniam --- deduxit]. However the most ancient archaeological remains so far discovered are no older than the 4th century BC. The most ancient buildings currently visible are from the 3rd century BC, notably the Castrum (military camp) and of a slightly later date are, the Capitolium (temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva). The opus quadratum, the walls of the original castrum at Ostia provide important evidence for the building techniques that were employed in Roman urbanisation during the period of the Middle Republic. Tiber River in Rome The Tiber (Italian Tevere, Latin Tiberis), the third-longest river in Italy at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that cross the suburbs... Ancus Marcius (r. ... There were seven traditional Kings of Rome before the establishment of the Roman Republic. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 7th century BC started on January 1, 700 BC and ended on December 31, 601 BC. // Overview Events Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria who created the the first systematically collected library at Nineveh A 16th century depiction of the Hanging Gardens of... Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 4th century BC started on January 1, 400 BC and ended on December 31, 301 BC. // Overview Events Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 3rd century BC started on January 1, 300 BC and ended on December 31, 201 BC. // Events The Pyramid of the Moon, one of several monuments built in Teotihuacán Teotihuacán, Mexico begun The first two Punic Wars between Carthage... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... IVNO REGINA (Queen Juno) on a coin celebrating Julia Soaemias. ... Minerva and the Muses, by Hans Rottenhammer (1603). ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ...

Rise

The Temple of the goddess Roma on the Forum of Ostia.

Although Ostia was probably founded for the sole purpose of military defense — since hostile armies could eventually reach Rome by water through the mouth of the Tiber River — in time the port became a very important commercial harbor. Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 488 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 488 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This coin struck under Philip the Arab to celebrate Saeculum Novum bears, on the reverse, a temple devoted to the goddess Roma In Roman mythology, Roma was a deity personifying the Roman state, or an personification in art of the city of Rome (as seen on the column of Antoninus... The Forum of Jerash, in Jordan. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third longest river in Italy (disputed — see talk page) at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through the Campagna and Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches...

Many of the goods that Rome received from its colonies and provinces passed through Ostia, including the essential grain supply to the city of Rome. In this role, Ostia soon replaced Pozzuoli, known to the ancient Romans as Puteoli, a port near Naples). The megalopolis of ancient Rome could never be fed entirely from its own surrounding countryside. ... Pozzuoli is a city of the province of Napoli, in the Italian region of Campania. ... The Bay of Naples Naples (Italian: , Neapolitan: Nàpule, from Greek Νεάπολη < Νέα Πόλις Néa Pólis New City) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of the Campania region and the Province of Naples. ...

In 87 BC, the town was razed by Marius, and again in 67 BC it was sacked by pirates. After this second attack, the town was re-built and provided with protective walls by the statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. Lucius Cornelius Cinna is elected consul of Rome, thus returning the rule of Rome back to the democrats. ... Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)¹ (157 BC - January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC - 60s BC - 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC Years: 72 BC 71 BC 70 BC 69 BC 68 BC 67 BC 66 BC 65 BC 64... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses see Cicero (disambiguation) Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Ancient Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin prose stylist. ...

Height

Scale model of Portus, near Ostia

The town was then further developed during the 1st century AD, mainly under the influence of Tiberius, who ordered the building of the town's first Forum. The town was also soon enriched by the construction of a new harbor on the northern mouths of the Tiber (which reaches the sea with a larger mouth in Ostia, Fiumara Grande, and a narrower one near to the current Fiumicino International Airport). The new harbor, not surprisingly called Portus, from the Latin for "harbor," was excavated from the ground at the orders of the emperor Claudius. This harbour became silted up and needed to be supplemented later by a harbor built by Trajan finished in the year AD 113 ; it has a hexagonal form, in order to reduce the erosive forces of the waves. This took business away from Ostia itself (further down river) and began its commercial decline. Image File history File links Ostia_model. ... Image File history File links Ostia_model. ... Portus is an ancient harbour of Latium, Italy, on the right bank of the Tiber River, at its mouth. ... The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ... Tiberius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16, 42 BC – March 16 AD 37), was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. ... The Forum of Jerash, in Jordan. ... Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (IATA: FCO, ICAO: LIRF), also known as Fiumicino International Airport, is Italys largest airport, with over 29 million passengers in the year 2005. ... Portus is an ancient harbour of Latium, Italy, on the right bank of the Tiber River, at its mouth. ... This is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire. ... For other uses, see Claudius (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Roman Emperor. ...

Ostia public latrinas.

Ostia itself was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous lighthouse. Ostia contained the earliest post-diaspora house-synagogue yet identified, an insula refitted as a synagogue in the late second century; it created a stir when it was unearthed in 1960-61^[1] By 1954 eighteen mithraea had also been discovered: Mithras had his largest following among the working population that were the majority of this port town. Archaeologists also discovered the public latrinas, organized for collective use as a series of seats that allow us to imagine today that the function was also a social moment. In addition, Ostia had a large theatre, many public baths, numerous taverns and inns, and a firefighting service. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 550 KB)Public toilets, Ostia Antica I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 550 KB)Public toilets, Ostia Antica I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... A latrine is a method of disposal of human waste used in rural areas and much of the developing world. ... The Peggys Point lighthouse in Nova Scotia, Canada An aid for navigation and pilotage at sea, a lighthouse is a tower building or framework sending out light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire. ... A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul; Ladino אסנוגה esnoga) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... Insula is the Latin word for island. It has other meanings: A Roman building with several stories. ... A mithraeum found in the ruins of Ostia Antica, Italy. ... A latrine is a method of disposal of human waste used in rural areas and much of the developing world. ...

Trajan too, required a widening of the naval areas, and ordered the building of another harbor, again pointing towards the north. It must be remembered that at a relatively short distance, there was also the harbor of Civitavecchia (Centum Cellae), and Rome was starting to have a significant number of harbours, the most important remained Portus. This article is about the Roman Emperor. ... Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio, a sea port on the Tyrrhenian sea, 50 miles WNW of Rome, 42°06N 11°47E. According to the 2003 census, its population was 50,100. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban...

Late-Roman and sub-Roman

Ostia housed a late imperial mint; this coin of Maxentius was struck there.

Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, reaching a peak of some 75,000 inhabitants in the 2nd and 3rd century AD. Ostia became an episcopal see as early as the 3rd century AD, the cathedral (titulus) of Santa Aurea being located on the burial site of St. Monica (mother of Augustine - she died in an inn in the town). In time naval activities became focussed on Portus instead and so a slow decadence began in the late Roman era around the time of Constantine I, with the town ceasing to be an active port and instead becoming a popular country retreat for rich aristocrats from Rome itself (along the lines of Brighton's relationship to London in the 18th century).^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Follis-Maxentius-s3776. ... Image File history File links Follis-Maxentius-s3776. ... Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 278-28 October 312) was Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... A see (from the Latin word sedem, meaning seat) is the throne (cathedra) of a bishop. ... In Christian archeology, a titulus is one of a set number of Early Christian churches (collectively known as the tituli) built round the edges of the city of Rome, which were ascribed to patrons, whose names often identified them: they received the name tituli, from the name of the founder... Saint Monica of Hippo (333 - 387) is a Christian saint and mother of Saint Augustine. ... For the first Archbishop of Canterbury, see Saint Augustine of Canterbury. ... Portus is an ancient harbour of Latium, Italy, on the right bank of the Tiber River, at its mouth. ... Head of Constantines colossal statue at Musei Capitolini Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[1] (February 27, 272–May 22, 337), commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or (among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic[2] Christians) Saint Constantine, was a Roman Emperor, proclaimed Augustus by his troops on... For other places with the same name, see Brighton (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The decaying conditions of the city were mentioned by St. Augustine when he passed there in the late 4th century. The poet Rutilius Namatianus also reported the lack of mantainance of the city in 414. Augustine is the name of two important Saints: Augustine of Hippo (354-430) -- philosopher and theologian, author of The City of God, Confessions Augustine of Canterbury (d. ... Information quoted from [1] http://www. ... Events Ataulf, king of the Visigoths, marries Galla Placidia, the sister of Roman Emperor Honorius. ...

With the end of the Roman Empire, Ostia fell slowly into decay, and was finally abandoned in the 9th century due to the repeated invasions and sackings by Arab pirates, including the Battle of Osta, a naval battle in 849 between Christian and Saracens; the remaining inhabitants moved to Gregoriopolis. The Roman Empire is the name given to the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Events Births Deaths August 18 - Walafrid Strabo, German monk and theologian Categories: 849 ...

Sacking and excavation

In the Middle Ages, bricks from buildings in Ostia were used for several other occasions. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was entirely built of material originally belonging to Ostia.^{[citation needed]} The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Tower of Pisa. ...

A "local sacking" was carried out by baroque architects, who used the remains as a sort of marble store for the palazzi they were building in Rome. Soon after, foreign explorers came in search of ancient statues and objects. The Papacy started organizing its own investigations with Pope Pius VII; under Mussolini massive excavations were undertaken, 1938-42. The first volume of the official series Scavi di Ostia appeared in 1954; it was devoted to a topography of the town by Gismondi and after a hiatus the research still continues today. Though untouched areas adjacent to the original excavations were left undistrurbed awaiting a more precise dating of Roman pottery types, the "Baths of the Swimmer", named for the mosaic figure in the apodyterium, were meticulously excavated, 1966-70 and 1974-75, in part as a training ground for young archaeologists and in part to establish a laboratory of well-understood finds as a teaching aid. It has been estimated that two thirds of the ancient town have currently been found. the beautiful ruins were discovered by tourists in the 1970s. Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... An architect is a person licensed in the art of planning, designing and overseeing the construction of buildings, or more generally, the designer of a scheme or plan. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... Pope Pius VII, O.S.B. (August 14, 1742 – August 20, 1823), born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14, 1800 to August 20, 1823. ...

Modern site

The site is no longer on the coast, due to sediments changing the local topography. It is near to the modern town of Ostia Lido in the Comune of Rome. The ancient site is open to visitors, and is easily reachable by a short rail trip from Rome. In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic administrative unit of both provinces and regions, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban...

Photos

The inscription originally placed on the main gate.

The theatre as seen from the ancient main road. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 326 KB) Summary Photo taken by Jack Curran, December 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Inside the theatre. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 650 KB) Summary Photo taken by Jack Curran, December 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Mosaic floor in the market. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x900, 604 KB) Summary Photo taken by Jack Curran, December 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ostia Antica

• Ancient Ostia Virtual panoramas and photo gallery (English/Italian)
• Ostia — Harbor City of Ancient Rome including an introduction (English)
• Ostia Antica (Italian/English)
• Extensive photo gallery of Ostia (English)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

References

• Hermansen, Gustav 1982. Ostia: Aspects of Roman City Life (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press)
• Meiggs, R. (1960) 1973. Roman Ostia 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press) The standard overview.
• Packer, James E. 1971 The Insulae of Imperial Ostia" M.Am.Acad. Rome 31
• Pavolini, C. 'Ostia: Guida Archeologica Laterza (Rome:Laterza) (Italian)

Coordinates: 41°45′N 12°18′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...